EXPRESS STATEMENT*
Developing Safe Products Using Nanotechnology
Revised by the leadership of the SOT Nanotoxicology Specialty Section in May 2016
Nanotechnology is a means to develop and use materials, structures, devices, and systems that
have novel properties and functions due to their small size. This technology represents the ability
to control, manipulate, and engineer materials with at least one dimension in the nanometer range
(i.e., 1–100 nanometers [nm]). Nanotechnology has the potential to create many new materials
and devices with a vast range of applications, such as in medicine, material design, electronics,
and energy production.
From a material science and chemistry perspective, what makes this emerging technology so
exciting is the idea that as one decreases the particle size range, particle characteristics appear to
change—often yielding completely new physical properties. For instance, titanium dioxide
particle types, which have a white color, lose color and become colorless at decreasing size
ranges less than 50 nm. Other particle types, which currently are utilized for electrical insulation
applications, can suddenly become conductive or insoluble substances can become more soluble
at sizes below 100 nm. These changes in physical properties enhance versatility and, thus, are
likely to give rise to new industrial and medical applications, as well as more versatile products–
and these possibilities have generated great interest in this potentially new technology.
The use of nanomaterials is expected to have great potential to improve consumer and industrial
products, address critical energy needs, enhance bioremediation, and improve the medical field.
This opportunity is based on the unique physical properties (e.g., magnetic, optical, thermal,
mechanical, electrical) and quantum mechanics (e.g., electron configuration and confinement)
that vary continuously or abruptly with changes in the size of some materials produced at the
nanoscale. Many consumer products contain, or will contain, nanomaterials in order to enhance
their performance.
The Project for Emerging Nanotechnologies at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars has an inventory of the products available to consumers containing nanomaterials
(http://www.nanotechproject.org/inventories/consumer). As of 2015, the center listed more than
1,600 manufacturer-identified, nanotechnology-based consumer products introduced to the
*Express Statements represent the viewpoints of the individual authors
and are not attributable to the Society as a whole.
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market. Examples of consumer products that contain nanomaterials include cosmetics,
sunscreens, coatings, tennis balls, batteries, fuel additives, catalysts, paints, pigments, toner,
tires, and cement. Nanomaterials also may be developed for specific medical purposes, including
for the delivery of pharmaceuticals, to enhance the performance of medical devices, or for
diagnostic imaging purposes.
The development and commercialization of products containing nanoparticles raises many of the
same issues as with the introduction of any new technology, including concerns about the
toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterial exposures. As a consequence, identification
of potential health risks is a prerequisite for assessing the safety of the new products that are
being developed. The potential human and environmental health risks can be evaluated by
considering the hazards posed throughout the product’s lifecycle—from manufacture to disposal
or recycling. Both hazard and exposure potentials will vary widely among different
nanoparticulate types and for a variety of applications. These concerns have led to a debate
among advocacy groups and governmental agencies on whether implementation of special
regulations for nanomaterial-containing products is warranted.
A variety of physio-chemical characteristics are known to influence the toxicity and transport of
nanomaterials in the body and the environment. These include, but are not limited to, particle
size, surface area, shape/structure, solubility, and surface coatings. Particle size and surface area
are important material characteristics from a toxicological and health perspective because as the
size of a particle decreases, its surface area increases, and this allows a greater proportion of its
atoms or molecules to be displayed on its surface rather than within the interior of the material.
These atoms or molecules on the surface of the nanomaterial may be chemically and biologically
reactive, potentially contributing to the development of adverse health effects.
The exposure potential for nanoparticles also must be carefully considered when conducting
safety or risk assessment analyses. The current focus for exposure assessment is on the
occupational setting (i.e., workers engaged in the manufacture of products containing
nanomaterials), as consumer exposure levels to “free” nanoparticles is expected to be very low.
An additional complication is the development of appropriate dose metrics by industrial
hygienists to assess personal exposures in the workplace. In this regard, the existing systems,
such as mass concentration determinations, may not be suitable for measures of nanoparticle
exposures, as several researchers have suggested that particle numbers or particle surface area
may be a more accurate dose metric.
It seems clear that inhalation exposures are likely to be the most common means of exposure, but
contribution of ingestion and dermal exposures also must be considered in the overall exposure
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evaluation process. Toxicological research is being conducted to evaluate the likelihood
nanomaterials crossing biological barriers to be absorbed through the lungs, gastrointestinal tract,
or skin and being distributed to various tissues and organs.
The information gleaned from the exposure and hazard studies is critical to understanding how
nanomaterials behave in occupational settings and in the environment; how they may affect those
exposed; and, most importantly, how exposures to these agents can be controlled.
There also are potential environmental benefits of nanomaterials, such as their use in
remediation, which is currently being implemented. The concerns expressed about the potential
adverse impacts of nanoparticles and nanomaterials on the environment are currently focused on
the following: fugitive emissions associated with the manufacturing process, waste disposal of
manufacturing byproducts, the transport or transfer of materials for commercial purpose, the
release of nanomaterials from consumer products, and the degradation of these products over
their lifecycle. Current research is focused on the fate of nanoparticles or, more specifically, their
mobility in air, soil, and water, as well as the chemistry of the materials, their degradation over
time and the mechanisms responsible, and the ability of these materials to accumulate in the
environment and serve as potential reservoirs of contamination and/or exposure.
In conclusion, nanotechnology is an exciting and emerging technology which has great potential
to enable the development of products with novel properties for a wide range of commercial and
medical applications. As with any new technology, there are questions pertaining to the potential
health and environmental risks associated with manipulation of nanomaterials. Moreover, the
success of this technology will require the perception that the benefits outweigh the risks. This
goal only can be attained by comprehensive testing of a growing number of nanomaterials. It is
anticipated that alternative testing of toxicity with cell culture models will eventually
significantly reduce animal testing as the standard to evaluating risk of nanomaterials. A
comprehensive risk evaluation process can be developed by assessing hazards and exposure, and
this will ensure the safety and success of this new technology. Risk communication and risk
management also will be an integral part of the process to ensure the safe development of
nanotechnology-based products.
Relevant Links:
 The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies: http://www.nanotechproject.org/
 National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI): http://www.nano.gov/
 US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Nanomaterials:
https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/sya-nano/
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US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) Research on Nanotechnology:
https://www.epa.gov/chemical-research/research-nanomaterials
US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) Nanotechnology:
http://www.fda.gov/ScienceResearch/SpecialTopics/Nanotechnology/default.htm
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